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Coats-Erwin Middle

Public Grades 6-8

626^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 778 North Carolina Middle Schools

Better than 20% of North Carolina middle schools

Summary

Coats-Erwin Middle serves 589 students in grades 6–8 in Harnett County Schools and is currently ranked among the lowest-performing middle schools in the region, sitting in the bottom 20% of North Carolina schools with a 1-star rating. Nearly all students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, and the school has ranked in the bottom quarter of the state for several consecutive years — a steep decline from 2018-2019, when it ranked near the statewide middle. Chronic absenteeism, while improved dramatically from 53.8% a few years ago to 29.4%, remains above both district and state averages.

Academically, Coats-Erwin trails every nearby middle school in the comparison group, including Dunn Middle, a same-district school just 3.85 miles away with similarly high poverty levels. Dunn outperforms Coats-Erwin by wide margins in several subjects — most strikingly in 7th-grade math, where 54.1% of students are proficient compared to just 28.6% at Coats-Erwin. Reading proficiency across all grades is weak, with 6th-grade reading at 36.9% proficient versus the state's 54.8%. Eighth-grade science is the school's strongest subject, coming closest to the state benchmark. Notably, several nearby high-poverty schools in Johnston County Public Schools — including Cleveland Middle and McGee's Crossroads Middle — achieve top-half or top-quarter rankings while serving populations with 98% or higher poverty rates, showing that economic disadvantage alone does not determine outcomes.

There are a few bright spots worth noting. Relative performance for English Language Learner and special education students improved meaningfully this year, and gifted students — while recently slipping — still perform above other subgroups. However, Hispanic and multi-racial student groups rank in the single digits statewide, indicating those students are not being served effectively. Looking ahead, the most pressing priorities for Coats-Erwin are strengthening 7th-grade math and literacy instruction, continuing to reduce absenteeism, and learning from the successful strategies of nearby high-poverty schools in Johnston County that achieve far stronger results under similar circumstances.

589

Students ?

15.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

98.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2833 NC Hwy 55E
Dunn, NC 28334

(910) 230-0300

District: Harnett County Schools

Students who attend Coats-Erwin Middle usually attend:

High:

Triton High

Feeder schools for Coats-Erwin Middle:

Elementary:	Coats Elementary
	Erwin Elementary

Racial breakdown:

White:

41.8%

Hispanic:

35.7%

African American:

17.7%

See top rated North Carolina middle schools

Compare Coats-Erwin Middle to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 31st percentile in 2016 → 20th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the North Carolina average (42% vs 58% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 11 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school42%

District avg47%

North Carolina avg58%

626^th of 778

North Carolina public middle schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 12 pts since 2016

From bottom 31% (2016) to bottom 20% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of North Carolina Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

173^rd of 246Harnett County Schools among North Carolina districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	22.9	626 of 778	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	26.1	580 of 773	25.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.0	667 of 793	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.6	639 of 784	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.4	560 of 786	28.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.2	468 of 741	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.9	356 of 737	51.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.2	404 of 691	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	40.8	435 of 694	37.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	33.2	475 of 692	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2015	34.5	482 of 705	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2014	33.8	411 of 627	34.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	46.3	353 of 673	47.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	31.0	512 of 662	22.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	30.3	511 of 648	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	28.2	517 of 640	19.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	41.4	430 of 630	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2008	43.6	388 of 620	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2007	49.8	366 of 606	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2006	44.1	396 of 598	33.8%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	443 of 553	19.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.3	445 of 546	18.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.0	510 of 560	8.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	17.5	512 of 559	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	21.6	477 of 550	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	24.5	438 of 533	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	38.6	337 of 519	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	47.8	245 of 494	50.4%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2022	22.7	395 of 449	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.9	434 of 478	9.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	47.3	230 of 504	54.4%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.4	249 of 475	47.6%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	37.3	216 of 363	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.1	311 of 371	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.7	319 of 356	10.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.8	267 of 318	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	46.8	131 of 312	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.0	52 of 236	78.0%	★★★★☆
2019	36.2	132 of 211	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.6	86 of 151	43.0%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	20.5	616 of 731	15.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	36.6	485 of 733	33.8%	★★☆☆☆
2024	20.4	620 of 738	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	25.9	568 of 731	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	34.1	489 of 733	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.5	447 of 706	36.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	55.0	311 of 684	54.5%	★★★☆☆
2018	49.3	372 of 656	43.3%	★★☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	48.7	323 of 465	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	62.3	192 of 458	58.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	58.5	221 of 461	52.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	29.4	406 of 452	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	48.3	303 of 450	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.8	304 of 448	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	58.8	205 of 416	50.7%	★★★☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	16.4	519 of 566	8.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	470 of 562	16.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	20.3	493 of 564	12.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.3	510 of 553	7.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	31.1	400 of 541	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	32.2	377 of 522	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	52.2	214 of 493	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2018	36.8	333 of 472	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	585 of 725	19.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	558 of 729	23.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.3	641 of 743	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	24.3	597 of 735	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.5	529 of 689	23.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.2	359 of 633	43.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	57.2	236 of 639	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	47.9	315 of 604	47.8%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	23.2	591 of 736	19.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	18.6	620 of 733	15.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	17.0	653 of 751	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.6	645 of 747	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	24.2	586 of 748	21.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	34.7	457 of 711	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.5	384 of 697	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	38.9	436 of 665	34.4%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	10.1	319 of 333	4.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2025	25.2	269 of 328	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	34.9	210 of 302	30.5%	★★☆☆☆
2022	52.9	116 of 283	59.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	40.3	146 of 248	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	37.1	161 of 237	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	24.2	196 of 221	11.3%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	34.0	329 of 500	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.6	421 of 478	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.0	428 of 473	9.5%	☆☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	North Carolina percentile	Rating
2026	26.8	503 of 644	21.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	29.3	494 of 649	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	19.5	555 of 652	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	22.8	544 of 656	17.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.8	516 of 658	21.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.3	401 of 632	36.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	51.1	305 of 624	51.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	42.2	374 of 596	37.2%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)40th percentile+21 vs school

Special Education (2026)34th percentile+15 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2026)31st percentile+11 vs school

White (2026)22nd percentile~ school

African American (2026)20th percentile~ school

Male (2026)20th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)19th percentile~ school

Female (2026)16th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2022)12th percentile-17 vs school

Hispanic (2026)8th percentile-11 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)4th percentile-15 vs school

By subject vs North Carolina (2025-2026) ?

Science60%-8 vs state

Reading39%-16 vs state

Mathematics39%-17 vs state

★

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Schools Near Coats-Erwin Middle

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				EOG Mathematics (2026)			EOG Reading (2026)			EOG Science (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2019)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	EOG Mathematics 6th Grade	EOG Mathematics 7th Grade	EOG Mathematics 8th Grade	EOG Reading 6th Grade	EOG Reading 7th Grade	EOG Reading 8th Grade	EOG Science 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Coats-Erwin Middle	Public	6-8	2833 NC Hwy 55E	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 230-0300	589	37	15.7	98.5%	246 (41.8%)	104 (17.7%)	210 (35.7%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	22.9	626^th of 778 public middle schools	19.5%		26.1	580^th of 773 public middle schools	25.0%	46	42.9	28.6	45.0	36.9	38.9	42.9	60.2	$8,076	$555	$7,521
Dunn Middle	Public	6-8	1301 Meadowlark Road	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 892-1016	388	28	13.8	99.0%	69 (17.8%)	171 (44.1%)	128 (33.0%)	6 (1.5%)	3 (0.8%)	1 (0.3%)	10 (2.6%)	32.8	530^th of 778 public middle schools	31.9%		30.1	549^th of 773 public middle schools	29.0%	19	56.3	54.1	38.6	41.0	48.0	34.2	60.5	$10,917	$1,260	$9,657
Benson Middle	Public	6-8	1600 N Wall Street	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 894-3889	377	26	14.7	99.2%	121 (32.1%)	72 (19.1%)	164 (43.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	19 (5.0%)	51.7	380^th of 778 public middle schools	51.2%		39.6	475^th of 773 public middle schools	38.6%	95	58.9	49.0	56.9	56.8	47.7	61.8	69.9	$9,496	$899	$8,596
Harnett Central Middle	Public	6-8	2529 Harnett Central Rd	Angier	27501	Harnett County	Harnett County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 639-6000	1,059	64	16.5	97.8%	458 (43.2%)	227 (21.4%)	310 (29.3%)	5 (0.5%)	4 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (5.2%)	28.2	579^th of 778 public middle schools	25.6%		27.4	568^th of 773 public middle schools	26.5%	11	44.4	39.5	35.4	45.5	43.0	47.8	61.6	$8,387	$686	$7,701
McGee's Crossroads Middle	Public	6-8	13353 NC Highway 210	Benson	27504	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 894-6003	757	42	18.0	98.9%	388 (51.3%)	93 (12.3%)	229 (30.3%)	2 (0.3%)	5 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (5.3%)	70.4	205^th of 778 public middle schools	73.7%		63.4	258^th of 773 public middle schools	66.6%	53	66.1	61.6	62.6	62.9	61.2	68.5	78.4	$8,319	$639	$7,679
Cleveland Middle	Public	6-8	2323 Cornwallis Road	Garner	27529	Wake County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 553-7500	936	51	18.4	99.7%	439 (46.9%)	215 (23.0%)	193 (20.6%)	26 (2.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	61 (6.5%)	68.1	220^th of 778 public middle schools	71.7%		66	242^nd of 773 public middle schools	68.7%	22	59.8	59.1	68.9	59.8	63.9	63.7	77.7	$7,527	$410	$7,117
Four Oaks Middle	Public	6-8	1475 Boyette Road	Four Oaks	27524	Johnston County	Johnston County Public Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(919) 963-4022	477	31	15.3	98.1%	235 (49.3%)	66 (13.8%)	152 (31.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	22 (4.6%)	60.6	292^nd of 778 public middle schools	62.5%		61.6	270^th of 773 public middle schools	65.1%	22	61.7	50.0	71.8	52.5	47.0	64.4	84.6	$9,812	$944	$8,868
Fuquay-Varina Middle	Public	6-8	1201 Bowling Road	Fuquay Varina	27526	Wake County	Wake County Schools	No	No	No	No	(919) 557-2727	1,004	57	17.6	28.3%	524 (52.2%)	164 (16.3%)	165 (16.4%)	95 (9.5%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	51 (5.1%)	76.2	166^th of 778 public middle schools	78.7%		74.3	170^th of 773 public middle schools	78.0%	4	72.3	65.4	66.0	67.4	61.9	67.0	82.6	$8,708	$369	$8,339
Midway Middle	Public	6-8	1115 Roberts Grove Road	Dunn	28334	Harnett County	Sampson County Schools	No	No	No	Yes	(910) 567-5879	584	32	18.3	97.1%	267 (45.7%)	61 (10.4%)	222 (38.0%)	2 (0.3%)	8 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (4.1%)	55.8	342^nd of 778 public middle schools	56.0%		52.4	362^nd of 773 public middle schools	53.2%	20	60.0	60.4	49.2	57.4	57.9	51.8	73.8	$8,346	$943	$7,403
Pine Forest Middle	Public	6-8	6901 Ramsey Street	Fayetteville	28311	Cumberland County	Cumberland County Schools	No	No	No	No	(910) 488-2711	703	47	14.9	59.6%	199 (28.3%)	291 (41.4%)	116 (16.5%)	19 (2.7%)	3 (0.4%)	4 (0.6%)	71 (10.1%)	53.5	362^nd of 778 public middle schools	53.5%		54.3	335^th of 773 public middle schools	56.7%	27	51.8	42.2	51.9	63.7	57.4	62.5	72.0	$8,355	$972	$7,383

Frequently Asked Questions about Coats-Erwin Middle

What is the racial makeup of Coats-Erwin Middle?

Students at Coats-Erwin Middle are 42% White, 36% Hispanic, 18% African American, 4% Two or more races.

Is Coats-Erwin Middle a good school?

Coats-Erwin Middle ranks in the bottom 19.5% of North Carolina middle schools.

What high school do graduates of Coats-Erwin Middle attend?

Students who attend Coats-Erwin Middle usually go on to attend Triton High

What district is Coats-Erwin Middle in?

Harnett County Schools

How many students attend Coats-Erwin Middle?

In the 2024-25 school year, 589 students attended Coats-Erwin Middle.

Rate Coats-Erwin Middle!

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Latest North Carolina data All new data »

2017–18 through 2025–26 attendance data & graduation ratesNewSep 2, 2026

2025–26 EOC & EOG test scoresNewSep 2, 2026

2016–17 through 2024–25 graduation ratesSep 3, 2025

2024–25 EOC & EOG test scoresSep 3, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the North Carolina Dept of Public Instruction.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.